The National Rifle Association threw its weight Friday behind Donald Trump, as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee personally assured the group’s members he would protect Second Amendment rights if elected – and claimed that likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would threaten them. The billionaire businessman and leaders of the nation’s powerful gun lobby joined forces as they amplified warnings that the Supreme Court vacancy only raises the stakes for gun owners in this election. Trump, speaking to the NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) forum in Louisville, Ky., even challenged Clinton on Friday to release a list of her potential Supreme Court nominees, after he did so earlier this week. “I would like for Hillary Clinton to put a list together also, and I want to see what the list consists of,” he said. “It will be day and night, it won’t be good for the people in this room and the country.” He charged, “Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment.” He addressed the NRA-ILA forum moments after Executive Director Chris Cox announced the group’s Trump endorsement. In a written statement, Cox also said: "The stakes in this year's presidential election could not be higher for gun owners. If Hillary Clinton gets the opportunity to replace Antonin Scalia with an anti-gun Supreme Court justice, we will lose the individual right to keep a gun in...

Surprising no-one, Glenn Beck, after joining the recent conservative delegation to Facebook, has defended the social network and its progressive CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, while attacking fellow conservatives for being too demanding of the company.It’s unclear if he’s gunning for a role in their PR department in the wake of The Blaze’s financial difficulties, but even if he isn’t, it’s hard to tell the difference. He’s written a post on Medium as well as his own personal website, given an interview to TIME, and appeared on his own syndicated talk radio show to defend the social network.In his post on Medium, whose CEO he met before flying down to Facebook’s sprawling headquarters in his private jet, Beck attacked conservatives who suggested more political diversity in Facebook’s staff. Astonishingly, he accused fellow conservatives who attended the meeting of staging a “Salem Witch Trial” against the company. If that wasn’t enough, Beck also appears to have swallowed Mark Zuckerberg’s argument that the company never discriminated against conservatives.“I was convinced that Facebook is behaving appropriately and trying to do the right thing” wrote Beck. “They were humble, open, and listened intently to...

On Monday, California began covering health care for poor illegal aliens under the age of 19.State enrollment estimates in the first year are expected to hit 185,000 of the 250,000 eligible minors, say state officials cited by the Associated Press. Legislative analysis of SB 4, the follow-up bill to shore up implementation of an earlier illegal alien public health care expansion bill, SB 75, details a budget allocation of $40 million toward the expansion. “Ongoing annual costs are estimated at $132 million General Fund.”Among supporters of SB 4 were California’s most powerful unions and immigrant activist organizations. including the National Council of La Raza, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the California Teachers Association and SEIU California.Enrollment coordinator Claudia Carolina is working with schools in Los Angeles to publicize the program. The AP noted that outside the state Capitol, “health care and immigrant rights advocates celebrating the expansion turned their attention to their next goals. They want Medi-Cal – the state’s version of Medicaid – to cover income-eligible adults who migrated illegally …”.An online KCRA 3 News poll via Facebook asked, “Should minors brought illegally to the U.S. be allowed to sign up for state-funded health care?” Respondents overwhelmingly said no: 62 percent rejected the idea, compared to...

I guess our distraught #NeverTrump friends aren’t as influential as they are emotional. Or maybe #CrookedHillary is just that bad. Of course, as Trump himself points out, there is something different about Fox News polls:

But even Fox had Hillary up 48-41 a month ago. What changed? Nate Silver himself sort of tries to explain it away by pointing out that Trump may have gotten a bump from wrapping up the nomination. But since when has any candidate’s wrapping up of the nomination come with such hysterical negativity as has greeted Trump’s win?

Here’s how Fox breaks down the new poll, which now has Trump up 45-42:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday released a list of 11 potential picks to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, a mix of federal and state judges that appeared tailored to win over conservatives still skeptical of his candidacy.The decision to release such a list is highly unusual for a presidential candidate, and comes as Trump is working to unite a Republican Party fractured by his candidacy and assuage still-skeptical establishment Republicans who question his ability to win a general election."I have a lot of people that are conservative that really like me, love everything I stand for, but they really would like to know my view," Trump said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News, "because perhaps outside of the defense of our country, perhaps the single most important thing the next president is going to have to do is pick Supreme Court justices."The list, which featured several prominent names floated repeatedly on conservative wish lists to replace Scalia, won immediate praise from those Trump is trying to win over."This list ought to be encouraging to anyone who prioritizes the rule of law, and I congratulate Mr. Trump on making a very significant policy statement about his desire to prioritize the future of the Supreme Court," said....

People in other countries usually think that the standard Russian toast is “Na zdorovye!” (literally, "To health!"). That is not exactly right. When pronouncing a toast, Russians are more likely to say "Vashe zrodovye" or "Tvoye zdorovye!", which means "To your health!", depending on the form of address.

Strictly speaking, however, this is not a proper toast. A classic toast has a more complex structure. It usually takes the form of a short story or anecdote, followed by a jocular or paradoxical conclusion, with an invitation to drink in affirmation of that conclusion.

Travelers pulling suitcases full of cash started showing up at Sea-Tac Airport last year holding tickets for flights headed out of the United States.

Transporting large amounts of cash overseas isn’t illegal. But it was who was carrying the money … and where it was going that caught the attention of security officials.

“It’s not against the law. You can travel outside the United States with as much money as you choose, as long as you declare it,” said Mike Bol, who heads U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations at the airport.

The people carrying the cash didn’t hide the fact from Customs. Just the opposite, they reported it. Anyone traveling out of the United States is required to declare any amount over $10,000 and fill out a one-page federal form.These reports are what caught the attention of terrorism investigators in Seattle.

“The thing was the amount, the staggering amount,” said Glenn Kerns, who was assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) at the time.

The couriers were working for Seattle-area hawalas – businesses that derive their name from the Arabic word for “transfer.” Hawalas are part of a traditional system of informal bankingin Muslim communities.

Seattle and King County are home to tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees from East Africa, many of whom use the hawalas to send much-needed money back to loved ones in their homelands. Given the presence of active terrorist organizations in Somalia, investigators worry that some of the money shipped home by Somalis up in the hands of the Al Qaeda affiliate active there.

“(They) have Al Shabaab, which has been designated a terrorist organization, and our concern is how much money is going to them?” said Kerns.

Kerns said the first cash shipment rolled through Sea-Tac early last year. A man carrying $750,000 in cash told Customs officials he was transporting the money overseas. Over the next several months, couriers carrying as much as $2 million boarded commercial flights at Sea-Tac.

“One hawala – Seattle hawala – sent out $20 million last year,” said Kerns.

Hawalas have been under intense scrutiny by the federal government since the Sept. 11 attacks. The...

The damage done by the traitor in the White House is incalculable. The devastating effects of his disastrous administration will be felt for generations to come. The last time the federal government designated a U.S. charity as a front for terrorist fundraising, President Barack Obama had been in office for less than a month and Osama bin Laden was still at large. On Feb. 11, 2009, the Treasury Department designated the Tamil Foundation, a Maryland-based charity allegedly raising funds for the Tamil Tigers, a Sri Lankan foreign terrorist organization that today barely exists.

Since then, the Obama administration has overseen a financial war against Iran and targeted the oil revenue of the Islamic State. The Treasury Department has pressured banks to cut ties with terrorist fronts and worked closely with Gulf states to modernize financial systems and crack down on dodgy charities and other money launderers.But the practice of blacklisting charities inside the U.S., a key tool of President George W. Bush’s war on terrorism, has come to a standstill under Obama.

Many experts and some members of Congress are beginning to ask why. Susan Phalen, the communications director for the House Homeland Security Committee told me this week that her committee was beginning to look into the issue. Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at Treasury, told me, “My understanding, based on conversations with...